Football: Bernards holds off Lenape Valley, 26-20, in first round of North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 playoffs

John Maddaluna celebrates his game-winning touchdown in Bernards' 26-20 victory over Lenape Valley in the first round of the NJSIAA North 2, Group 2 playoffs in Bernardsville. (Amanda Brown/The Star-Ledger)

The legend of John Maddaluna grows.

The Bernards senior sandwiched a game-winning touchdown catch with a miraculous reception of a deflected pass and a game-sealing interception, all in the final 30 seconds of the game, to lift his team to a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Lenape Valley, 26-20, in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 playoffs Friday night at Olcott Field in Bernardsville.

There were just 27 seconds remaining and the game was tied, 20-20, when Maddaluna caught a 30-yard pass from quarterback Devin Ray, off a Lenape Valley defender, on third down to give Bernards a first-and-goal on the Lenape Valley 5. Ray then hit Maddaluna for the game-winning score with 21 seconds left to cap a 90-yard drive, followed by Maddaluna picking off a Lenape Valley pass near midfield with 14 seconds to go.

"It's awesome. He's my next door neighbor," Bernards junior linebacker Will Kenny boasted proudly. "He's the nicest next door neighbor, he's such a great guy and he's so good. He deserves the best. Unbelievable."

Maddaluna, who had six carries for 88 yards and a touchdown and four catches for 76 yards and a score, now has scored 24 total touchdowns this season. The senior has 40 catches for 997 yards to go with 599 rushing yards on 33 carries this fall.

Bernards (9-0) advanced to the sectional semifinals in two weeks, where it will play the winner of today’s game between eighth-seeded Hanover Park and top-seeded Madison, which is No. 15 in The Star-Ledger Top 20 and has a state-leading 33-game winning streak.

Bernards has not played Hanover Park since 1957 and has not met Madison since 1950. It marked just the second state playoff victory in school history for Bernards and allows the team to match its best start to a season. The Bernardsville school is seeking its first state championship since it won Central Jersey, Group 1 in 1970.

One of the leaders of that team? Maddaluna's father, John Jr.

"It's just an amazing feeling," Maddaluna said. "To be up there with him is just an honor."

But for a while it did not appear that Bernards, which led, 6-0, early on, would make the step forward in the tournament. Attacking the flats with counters, sweeps and the occasional waggle pass, Lenape Valley (8-2) racked up 172 yards in the first half to take a 14-6 lead into halftime. The Stanhope school dominated time of possession in the half, 18:28-5:32, and converted twice on fourth down.

But Bernards made defensive adjustments at halftime and reclaimed the lead, 20-14, with 11:04 left in the game when Ray (145 pass yards, 54 rush) scored on a 1-yard run and added a conversion run. That came after Jon Diamond had scored on a 23-yard run in the third quarter.

Lenape Valley tied it, 20-20, with 6:46 left on a 20-yard touchdown run by Nick Rafferty, who finished the game with 178 rush yards on 31 carries. The Patriots then blocked a Bernards punt on the next series and drove downfield, setting up an attempt for a go-ahead 19-yard field goal with under two minutes to play.

The snap was low, however, and Lenape Valley broke the play and attempted to pass, only to be thrown for a loss. Bernards took over on its own 10 with 1:34 left and embarked on the game-winning drive, needing eight plays to cover 90 yards in 1:13.

"It's everything that we've worked for," Bernards coach Jon Simoneau said. "Our last 18 months, we spent 12 of them working on football season, to get to this moment, that fourth quarter drive. This is what we work for."